Lies
by Ryuki Kokoro
Summary: Ayane has suffered through many battles, won many hardships. But the doubt echoing within is enough to consume her... or at least cause her demise. -CH 3 UP-
1. Bound at every limb

Righto, songfic. This one is going to be presented differently then my other ones; this is going to have each chapter/song verse as a separate chapter, as the storyline changes throughout. I think you'll be able to see that when it happens (or at least, I hope so…)

Anyway, hope you enjoy nonetheless! Oh, and the song is Evanescence's 'Lies' if anybody is interested. Great song, by the way…

(This would be a line if this site's line thing wasn't messing up, just so you know...)

-o-

She was dying.

Even as the blood seeped slowly from the wound, turning the once pale-green grass a slick crimson red, she knew. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was going to die.

At her abhorred half-sister's hands, no less. Talk about adding insult to injury.

"Ayane, I never wanted to do it this way, but you left me no choice in the matter. You could never defeat me. You were always too weak." Kasumi's voice was soft, caressing her cheeks like the gentle breeze that would mark the end of her days.

_Sure, there were times when I thought that death was better then life. But not now. I'm not ready to die. And certainly not by that bitch. I don't want to die yet! I've got so much more to do… I've got something… some_one… _to live for now…_

Her thoughts drifted back to _him. _His gentle hands stroking her skin so carefully, so lovingly. A feeling she never thought that she would feel. A feeling she thought she was not _allowed _to feel.

_And what about him? He's going to return to an empty house, and a simple note saying where I went. He's going to come here and find my dead body. He's going to have to live by himself, live for himself now…_

She was scared. Yes, she, the fearless Ayane, was scared.

Well, not necessarily 'fearless'. It had sounded good once, but she knew that she was only human, she could feel.

Alright, she was downright terrified, if she wanted to be honest with herself. She couldn't just leave him…

She didn't want to leave him alone.

But there was no say in the matter for her.

A single cursed tear eased down her bloodied cheek. Too weak to wipe it away, praying to any god that would listen that Kasumi didn't see the thing.

Goddamn it. She wanted to live, live for him, live for herself. But now she couldn't, just because of _Kasumi. _She would curse that name as long as she lived, although that time was rapidly running out.

She had let her hatred for her half-sister drive her too far. The suffocating web of lies and betrayal that was the curse of the ninja. She had lived by it, and she was now going to die because of it.

Summoning the last of her strength, she lifted her hand defiantly towards her half-sister.

"I hate you, you stupid bitch. Burn in hell."

That was the last thing that escaped from her lips before her eyelids drooped shut and she lost consciousness…

_Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear_

_Sealed with lies through so many tears_

_Lost from within, pursuing the end_

_I fight for the chance to be lied to again_

-o-


	2. You will never be strong enough

Man, I'm just reflecting on what a cool character Ayane is. She really rocks. Power to the Ayane fans, they're smart!

Not saying that other fans aren't, but you know what I mean, right?

Anyway, hope you enjoy the (short) chapter!

* * *

"Ayane, you don't do it like that. You're such an idiot."

"God, Ayane, you're weak. Stop snivelling like that. If you're my half-sister, I want you to be somebody I can be _proud _of, not a snivelling, shivering wreck."

She stared at her half-brother and sister. She wanted to be accepted by them, be one of _them. _But she knew that she never could be, especially after those fated words she had overheard her mother cry the previous evening.

_"Curse you, Raidou! I don't want to be left with your mistake! Wasn't what you did already enough for you, without leaving me with _her?_"_

A mistake. That was all she was. A snivelling, shivering _mistake._

Hayate was the perfect child, an honourable and good son. Kasumi, although only eight, had surpassed some of the teenage students. She… was just a mistake. A failure.

No, she wasn't. She wouldn't live down to their expectations. She would live _up _to _her _expectations. She would rise above them all!

"Who are you trying to kid?"

Hayate shook his head, sending auburn locks bouncing with the movement. She hadn't realised she had spoken aloud.

"Ayane, your skill as of now won't get you anywhere. Tenjin-Mon isn't that hard to do, you know, yet you make it seem positively impossible."

She didn't _want _to do Tenjin-Mon like _Kasumi. _She wanted to do Hajin-Mon, like Genra, the only one who had accepted her into the clan fully. But no, until Genra discussed it, she was stuck with both Tenjin-Mon and Kasumi. And she hated Tenjin-Mon. The flow simply wasn't right. It didn't have enough power. Power she wanted and would revel in given the opportunity. It was too peaceful and girlish and… Kasumi-like.

Even though Hayate did it too… well, Hayate wasn't exactly the perfect example of manliness, was he? If he did Tenjin-Mon, he must have been just as pathetic as that little brat.

And he did… so he was. The logic worked perfectly.

"You need to be more dedicated. Otherwise you'll just fail."

She stared up into those cold brown eyes, and for the first time, hated what she saw.

She saw _him. _Nothing but him.

He was right.

She couldn't amount to anything. She was a failure.

No, she wasn't.

Yes, she was.

She was.

She _wasn't._

Hell, she didn't know, which was sad in itself.

She sat down under the shade of a beautiful young sapling, plucking blades of grass absent-mindedly, asking herself the same question over and over.

"Am I a failure? Am I?"

Slamming her fist into the tree trunk, injuring the trunk and injuring her hand.

"Somebody tell me the truth!"

_You will never be strong enough_

_You will never be good enough_

_You were never conceived in love_

_You will not rise above..._

* * *


	3. They'll never see

Here's another chapter until I get over this damn writer's block I've been having. With _everything, _not just one story or two. Everything! –Grumble-

That said… enjoy the chapter! Hope it doesn't seem like I had too much of a writer's block, anyway…

And I just realised! There's been NO Ryu in this story! A tragedy! I'll find somewhere to stick him in, I will! –Evil grin-

* * *

"And the new clan leader to be… is…"

Everybody was frozen with anticipation, her included. _This is my chance. Please, whatever gods that are out there, let me have this opportunity… it will prove something to everybody… please…!_

"…Kasumi!"

_NO! Not her! Anybody else, but not her!_

Now they would never see her full potential. Now she could never prove to them what she was truly capable of.

Now, she _would _never prove to them what she was capable of. They deserved it, for choosing _her. _They could suffer, and she would make them suffer.

Yet she had to quash that growing ache within her. That ache that longed to prove itself, to everybody, that she was _not _a failure and she _could_ succeed.

"This is a great day for our clan," Shiden was saying. "A day where we can prove to other ninjutsu clans what young and powerful women such as my daughter are capable of."

Young and powerful. Bah. Kasumi held too much respect for the living and too much honour for the dead. She was weak, letting emotions overpower her.

She could see that. Why couldn't anybody else?

Now it was the bitch herself speaking.

"I am honoured to have this opportunity… for my clan, my family…"

This speech had to have been prepared. No other possible explanation. It sounded like something from an old-fashioned script.

"…and also, I think, for myself, too."

It could have been her. It could have been her, being presented with that award. It could have been her, as the heir to the legendary Mugen-Tenshin ninjutsu clan.

But no, it wasn't. It was Kasumi. It was always that blasted Kasumi.

Would that ever really change?

And yet, she _thirsted _for power. She wanted the power that being the clan leader could have given her. She needed to prove herself, to prove to everybody that she was more then just a mistake, more then dirt.

More then nothing.

She _was _something. She _was. _But because of _them, _she couldn't prove it.

And so, people saw her as nothing.

They were blind. Blinded by their 'young and powerful' Kasumi. She always was the favourite, always was the heroine.

From where she was standing, she could see Hayate cheering for his sister. Seemed odd to her that he didn't care. His own kid sister surpassing him, yet he seemingly didn't give a damn. That was strange. If she had been in Hayate's position, she would currently be beating the crap out of the little witch.

Admittedly, that was what she felt like doing now, in Hayate's position or not.

"Thankyou for having faith in me. I'll make sure I won't disappoint!"

She couldn't bear to watch those fools, cheering as though their saviour had come. Spitting angrily on the ground, she turned on her heel and strode briskly away, not looking back.

_They'll never see_

_I'll never be_

_I'll struggle on and on to feed this hunger_

_Burning deep inside of me_


End file.
